One of my favourite podcasts is ‘The Guilty Feminist’, it’s hilarious and I urge you to go and listen now – not to go too far off on a tangent but the stories and anecdotes they tell have really helped me to process why some things irritate and annoy me and to then articulacy explain why. Anyway they start each episode with a confession of something they have done or thought that is non-feminist. I really love the concept as it instantly takes the pressure off a rather serious topic, and a topic which there is a lot of confusion around. so I thought it might be a cool thing that…

Bras are a pain really aren’t they. Let’s be honest, they are uncomfortable, at least they definitely are after 7 or 8 hours of wearing, It’s also one more thing (most) women have to wear on a daily basis that men don’t – are bras taxed like tampons? Is that OK? And finally on top of all that they usually cost a small fortune. Places like Primark are an affordable option if you are on a low income, but they aren’t great quality, and the fit of them is never the same, so like most things I like to say you should always try to buy the best you can…

A few questions that have been bugging me this week. I’ve asked questions before about the reasons ethical beauty is more accessible than fashion, as it’s something that affects us directly. (You can read that here) But that was more about consumers in general. This week I’m thinking more specifically about on-line influencers… If you are promoting, buying and using cruelty free make-up and beauty brands, then on the same platforms showing off your high-street clothing, is that not hypocritical ? Again I know some of it comes down to affordability and I am completely aware that a lot of ethical fashion just isn’t affordable for everyone, and of course we…

When I’ve told people about starting this blog a few of them have then gone on to ask for recommendations for a certain product, which I love. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to start writing the blog in the first place and why I have made an Index to collect all the brands I find in one place. One of my friends told me she was looking for a new pouch to replace one which was far too tired, so I jumped to the challenge to find suitable replacements. Over the last few weeks have been keeping my eyes peeled on Instagram, other blogs and in shops for…

I read a blog post recently asking the question of wether fashion is empowering for women, it was a good post and had some great points but I noticed it only touched on one step in a garments life cycle. The step where it is bought and styled. Yes! fashion can be and should be empowering for women. We should be able to dress however we want, in a way that makes us feel good without any outwardly spoken judgment from other people. I love the power of clothes, the way they can make you feel, the memories they can hold and the possibilities they can provide, even if…

Ok today’s brand I would like to highlight was introduced to me by my boyfriend. He’s actually better than me at buying clothes from ethical and sustainable brands – Most of mine are second hand, where as he doesn’t have so much time to shop as I do so he tends to buy clothing new. Finisterre the brand started back in 2003 with an innovative fleece, designed and made above a surf shop, made by people who love the sea, for people who love the sea. It is a brand geared towards people who love to be outside, who want practical clothing for an evening or weekend surfing, however…

As a teenager I became obsessed with costume jewellery and since then I have collected it, in particular vintage and second hand pieces. Nothing fancy, just fun! I would buy huge chunky brightly coloured pieces, make my own out of plastic animals and bits of barbie (it was the emotional years), and also rummage through thrift stores and vintage shops to find interesting unique pieces no one else would have. A lot of that collection has been whittled down over the years and I like to think I have a more refined collection now, No faux Chanel earrings in site 😉 Above: 1970’s ball necklace, moon and stars clip on…

This weekends thoughts or musings are about VALUE. How do we determine the value of an item of clothing? And what makes something GOOD value? By how much it costs? By the quality? By the quantity? I like to think it’s a combination of the first two. It’s important to think about the item as a whole and to not just take it on face value. False economy is an annoying trick that makes you think you are buying something of value because it’s cheap but the quantity may be high, like a £2 Primark T-shirt or washing up liquid. But if that T-shirt doesn’t last more than…

Even as someone who tries to shop as ethically as possible, sometimes I can’t resist a good old scroll through Asos and I have also pretty much cut out using Amazon completely, but sometimes I just like to browse. According to retail-weekly.com the top 15 on-line retailers in 2016 were; Amazon, Argos, Apple, Tesco, Netflix, Asda, M&S, EE, Boots, John Lewis, The trainline, Asos, Next, B&Q and O2. Looking at this list, It’s safe to say that we like our ‘department’ style stores. Photo by Alex Knight on Unsplash There is something wonderfully lazy about an on-line department store, it feels like a lot less effort than having to search…